THE wEB wE wEAVE

In this episode of the Web We Weave, Ruth and Janet analyze the new media and old media surrounding the website HowStuffWorks. HowStuffWorks, created by Michael Brian, is like an online encyclopedia. The website explores and explains the mechanics of how everyday machinery to abstract theories work. Today, we take a closer look at the design of the website, business/employment, various platforms, and the interactivity of the audience and content creators. Through these topics, we will analyze how HowStuffWorks employs new media strategies to attract, engage, and retain their audience by providing an array of interesting topics to suit almost anyones interests.

HowStuffWorks Employment Opportunities http://www.howstuffworks.com/jobs.htm

HowStuffWorks Youtube Channel https://www.youtube.com/user/HowStuffWorks

Foreign Accent Syndrome http://health.howstuffworks.com/mental-health/neurological-conditions/foreign-accent-syndrome.htm referenced in episodes

How Do You Dream Lucidly https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYiys-MI5Gs referenced in episode

About HowStuffWorks http://www.howstuffworks.com/about-hsw.htm

How It's Made Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/How_It%27s_Made

Why Wednesday Is not pronounced the Way It's spelled http://now.howstuffworks.com/2017/04/05/word-wednesday-pronunciation referenced in episode

Square Image: Canva and Main HowStuffWorks logo

In this week’s episode, we will be analyzing the online feminist publication, Reductress, a The Onion-style website that employs satirical articles and Podcast episodes to expose how both traditional and new media attempt to capitalize on female empowerment yet still perpetuate unhealthy expectations that debilitate women. Our episode will focus on the complexity of utilizing satire in media as a means to generate discussion about and encourage action for current political issues. No matter what gender you identify with, Reductress provides a space for readers to evaluate how we can alter the media landscape to be representative and supportive of all demographics.

Sources:

Reductress: http://reductress.com/

Davies, Madeleine. “Reductress Is Devoting Its Entire Site to Rape Jokes That Punch Up”: http://jezebel.com/reductress-is-devoting-its-entire-site-to-rape-jokes-th-1785404690

In today’s episode of The Web We Weave, we will be discussing and analyzing the dating app “Tinder.” While this dating app has seen mixed results in terms of finding love, we find many Americans still using this app. We attempt to find out what makes Tinder such an amusing app and why so many Americans using it? And why are females more prone to use tinder than online dating apps?

Sources:

Claire, Marie. http://www.marieclaire.co.uk/life/sex-and-relationships/tinder-the-online-dating-app-that-everyone-s-talking-about-112522

Greenfield, Rebecca. https://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2013/02/tinder-hook-app-women-actually-use/317875/

Graff, Martin. https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/love-digitally/201610/the-surprising-truth-about-why-people-use-tinder

Dehahn, Patrick. http://college.usatoday.com/2017/03/29/why-millennials-use-tinder-really/

On this week's episode of The Web We Weave, we will be discussing The Skimm. The Skimm is a daily news briefing geared toward young professional women that is delivered via email every morning at 5:59 am. The Skimm provides “daily fresh editorial content” and “breaks down material in a way that is palatable, helpful, and actually enjoyable to read” says its founders. Is The Skimm a successful new media news platform? Or does it just promote consumption of news without personal analysis?

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-11-02/how-the-skimm-became-a-must-read-for-millennials

https://www.fastcompany.com/3021236/how-theskimm-became-the-must-read-newsletter-for-women

https://www.forbes.com/sites/alextaub/2012/07/19/a-daily-newsletter-youll-want-to-actually-open-theskimm/#445fad572ac6

Sustainability is a growing business. But, guess what? That’s not what it’s all about. Like Wu-Tang said, “Cash Rules Everything Around Me,” but let’s not forget about our climate here on planet earth. So, with leadership and conscious, altruistic education training, our peers on Earth, in our towns, in our carpools, at our jobs, can actively participate in progressing society towards climate change with 350.org. With little interest in extensive reading and traditional college enrollment, 350.org markets it’s new media platform with excellence by making the information approachable.

In this episode of The Web We Weave, we analyze Rockstar Games’ action-adventure video game, Grand Theft Auto V. While the game has been very controversial, it continues to be one of the most popular video games of all time. We attempt to find what makes GTA V standout and why it is so effective.

Sources:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2016/11/02/gta-v-has-sold-70-million-copies/#69c366855b98

http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/news/2013/10/confirmed-grand-theft-auto-breaks-six-sales-world-records-51900

http://www.polygon.com/2013/10/9/4819272/grand-theft-auto-5-smashes-7-guinness-world-records

https://www.theguardian.com/media-network/media-network-blog/2014/sep/25/technology-gaming-purpose-grand-theft-auto

In this episode of the Web We Weave, we will analyze the multimedia platform that is Imgur. Initially started as a image sharing website, its pictures now represent a wide array of topics for the purpose of entertainment. Today we will be discussing the site with a focus on its community as the content on the site is largely determined by its users.

http://imgur.com/

In this week's episode of The Web We Weave, we examine the way that The Odyssey Online, an online, millenial writing publication, acts as new media. We evaluate the success of The Odyssey's mission to democratize content, and we discuss their legitimacy as a blog versus a journalistic site.

Sources:

http://www.spectatornews.com/opinion/2016/05/11/an-open-letter-to-the-odyssey-online/

http://www.prweek.com/article/1361353/online-content-hub-odyssey-posts-2000-articles-week-its-growing

http://www.alligator.org/opinion/columns/article_b1d61ce6-876a-11e5-b6f0-4fbe84a7489d.html

http://pittnews.com/article/111005/opinions/columns/odyssey-dilutes-journalism/

http://digiday.com/media/inside-odyssey/

http://www.businessinsider.com/this-startup-is-like-a-college-newspaper-on-steroids-and-its-racking-up-30-million-uniques-a-month-2016-4

https://www.spj.org/ethicscode.asp

In this weeks episode of The Web We Weave, we discuss the learning platform Lynda.com. In our pursuit of new media, we analyze how Lynda Weinman's creation has evolved into an educational media success.

Sources:

Lynda "About Us": https://www.lynda.com/aboutus/

Emerson, Rip "Smart Education: How Lynda.com Hit $70M In Revenue Without A Penny From Investors" https://techcrunch.com/2012/05/03/lynda-70m/

"How do authors at Lynda.com get paid?" https://www.quora.com/How-do-authors-at-Lynda-com-get-paid

Kosoff, Maya. "LinkedIn just bought online learning company Lynda for $1.5 billion" http://www.businessinsider.com/linkedin-buys-lyndacom-for-15-billion-2015-4

This week on The Web We Weave, Daniel Park and Kevin Kilgour discuss Tony Zhou's "Every Frame a Painting". What niche does this video essay series fill that others do not? What are the advantages of spreading a series across different Internet platforms? And how does Zhou create a crossroads between old and new media with his hit series? Tune in to answer these questions and hear more.

Sources:

Introduction clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUOdQxQkVt8

Reddit AMA: https://www.reddit.com/r/TrueFilm/comments/2rg8jt/i_am_tony_zhou_creator_of_the_every_frame_a/

Patreon:

Marvel Symphonic Universe video referenced in the episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vfqkvwW2fs

Image credit: http://thefoxisblack.com/blogimages//Every-Frame-A-Painting.jpg